Watch



J. A. FREUND.

' WATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, ms.

1,392,006. PatentedSept. 27,1921

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. FREUND, or NEwrouvILLn, MASSACHUSETTS.

WATCH.

7 Application filed July 26,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. FREUND, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newtonville, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have made a certain new and useful Invention Relating to Watches, of which the following is a specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms part of the Same.

This invention relates especially to watch movements in which the dial plate is of thick, heavy construction so as to comprise a large part of the thickness of the watch movement, the bridge memberswhich are preferably in the form of relatively thin fiat plates of substantially uniform thickness in parts which are in contact with the'dial plate, being advantageously maintained in alinement therewith by steady pins which may be removably or disengageably mounted in holes in the dial plate. These steady pin holes in the dial plate and bridge members may thus have corresponding locations and may be bored or formed in the same drilling jigs so as to beaccurately positioned in both cases. Under these circumstances when thebridge members are of such substantially fiat construction they may be mounted on the same or Similar quills or jeweling heads to open out the jewel'holes and mount the jewels so that these bearing-jewels are automatically located in corresponding positions in both the dial plate and-bridge members and reliable uprighting of these bearings is promoted. k A thick, heavy dial plate of this character also makes it possible to'provide a firmer and stronger stem bearing, since the winding stem of the watch may be mounted entirely withinthe dial plate and supported directly in bearings therein or in a stem bushing which may be mounted in the dial plate.

In the accompanying drawingsshowing in a somewhat diagrammatic way an illustrative embodiment of this invention,

Figure 1 is an enlarged View of the dial plate and bridge members in assembled position. 1

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1, the bridge members being shown somewhat separated from the dial plate for greater clearness.

Fig. 3 is a partial end view of the dial plate showing the stem bearing; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section thereof.

Specification of LettersPatent. Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

1918. Serial No. 246,794.

The dial plate 1 of any suitable material, such asbrass, is preferably formed of such thickness as to. represent considerably more than half of the thickness I of the watch movement so that the winding stem may be entirely mounted and supported in the dial plate without engaging the cooperating bridge members. The bridge members which may be less than one-fourth as thick as the dial plate may have any suitable shape or contour and may comprise the barrel bridge 2, train bridge 3 and balance cock 4 of some such shape as indicated in Fig. 1 so as to be rigidly supported on the dial plate to which they may be secured by suitable screws or fastening devices, their alinerecesses such as 25, 26, 27 and 50 are formed.

A number of steady pin holes are corre spondingly locatedin the dial plate and co operating bridge members as by drilling orv forming these holes by the use of the same drill jig or the like so that they correspond with substantial or practically absolute accuracy in both the dialplate and relatively thin bridge members. holes which are preferably" located. at ample 'or effective distances apart in each bridge member may be arranged in some such location as 5, 6,7 in the barrel bridge 2 and 8, 9, 10 in the train bridge 3 and 11,12,13 inthe balance cock 4, at'least two such steady pin holes being provided for each of the bridge members. These steady pin holes are advantageous in accurately locating and uprighting the jewel. and other bearings of the watch movement, since the bridge members may be jeweledby mounting them on quills provided with pins of such size and location as to engage the steady pin holes in the bridges and the jewels may thus be inserted and set in the'face of each of the bridge members which engages the dial plate. For jeweling the corresponding bearing in the dial plate it may be mounted on the same quill the alining pins of which may engage These steady pin the corresponding steady pin holes in the dial plate which is thus accurately alined on the quill to which it is clamped in any desired way and the jewel set in the opposite or dial face or side of the dial plate in exactly corresponding position. See, for instance, the center jewel 21 in the train bridge which may be thus accurately positioned with respect to the center jewel 21 in the dial plate. Other jewels, in the train bridge, such as 51 and 22 may be directly set in this bridge member or have their jewel settings located or alined therewith and the other jewels or bearings in the other bridge memhere may be formed or located in a corresponding manner in proper relation with the bearings in the dial plate with which they cooperate.

The watch plates may then be assembled by inserting any suitable steady pins, such as the removable or disengageable steady pins 32 into the steady pin holes 11 in the dial plate, for example, in which they may tightly fit, the somewhat reduced diameter ends 83 of these steady pins projecting from the dial plate so as to readily enter the steady pin holes, such as 11, in the corresponding bridge members. Nhen each bridge member is in contact with the dial plate the cylindrical full diameter portions of the steady pins bring the bridge member into accurate alinement. The bridge members may be, secured to the dial plate by suitable screws, such as 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. This arrangement materially promotes the interchangeability of bridge members of high grade watch movements which may be formed and jeweled in such way as to be much more readily interchangeable with the desired accuracy and uprighting of the jeweled bearings. As indicated the balance cock may, if desired, comprise the regulator arm 42 and cooperating spring 43. The pallet bridge as may have its jewel 45 set after being attached to the dial plate, if desired, which promotes accuracy. Suitable binding screws, such as 28, 29, may, of course, be used to secure the watch movement in its case.

This plate construction also makes it possible to secure greatly increased strength and accuracy of the stem bearings of the watch since the winding stem 24 may be mounted entirely within the thick dial plate as indicated in Figs. 2 to 1-. This stem may have a. reduced'end 40 mounted in a bearing hole in the dial plate itself while the outer end of the stem beyond the winding pinion and clutch 341-. may, if desired, be supported in a stem bushing such as 36 formed with a bearing to accommodate the stem adjacent the stem groove 30 for the pendant lever. The stem bushing may fit accurately within the recess in the dial plate and be retained therein as by the locking screw 38 which may engage a notch or recess 37 in the bushing.

This invention has been disclosed in connection with a number of illustrative forms, arrangements, proportions, materials and methods of manufacture and use, to the details oi which disclosure the invention is not of course to be limited, since what is claimed as new and what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is set. forth in the appended claims.

1. In watches, a thick dial plate and cooperating relatively thin bridge members of substantially uniform thickness where they engage the dial plate, there being alining steady pin holes formed in said'bridgc members and dial plate and steady pins supported in said dial plate and having proj ecting ends to engage the corresponding steady pin holes in each of said bridge members and accurately aline the same with respect to the .dial plate, and bearings in said bridge members and dial plate in corresponding relation to said steady pin holes to promote. the accurate positioning and uprighting of the corresponding bearings.

2. In watches, a dial plate and a cooperating bridge member, there being alining steady pin holes extending through the cor responding portions of the bridge member and dial plate and steady pins supported in one of said sets of steady pin holes and having projecting ends to engage the other corresponding steady pin holes and aline the same, and jewel bearings mounted in said bridge member and dial plate in correspond- 100 'ing relation to said steady pin holes.

JOSEPH A. FREUND. 

